Why Donovan McNabb + Minnesota Vikings = Next Year's Super Bowl Champs

It's January in Philadelphia, and the Eagles are out of Super Bowl contention once more.

That can only mean one thing: the Philly media and radio hosts have begun their annual tradition of speculating whether or not Donovan McNabb will ever play another game in an Eagles uniform.  On the heels of a 19-for-37, 230 yard performance (in which McNabb was 1-for-5 for two yards midway through the second quarter), the calls for McNabb's head have grown louder than ever.

As one of McNabb's most ardent supporters (and apologists) over the years, the constant speculation about his future even wears thin on me; I can only imagine how McNabb feels about the talking heads flapping their gums.  

"No matter what happens, I will be here for a bunch of years," McNabb said before Saturday's loss to Dallas. "Does that clean it up? Do I have to answer this question every year?"

While he reportedly answered the question with a smile on his face, years of job speculation would understandably frustrate even the most patient of souls.

With that said, I'm about to write the most painful two sentences I've ever written.

For Donovan's sake, it's time for him to move on.  

And if Brett Favre hangs up his cleats once-and-for-all after this season, and the Vikings can work a trade for McNabb, they become instant Super Bowl favorites for next season.

Why would McNabb want to leave Philly, a team he's brought to five NFC Championships, five NFC East titles and one Super Bowl?  

Over the years, many media figures have made note at how little respect McNabb receives from the Philly fanbase, despite his laundry list of accomplishments.

Deion Sanders went on record in the beginning of 2009 (aka the beginning of last year's "will McNabb stay in Philly?" routine) to say that no matter what McNabb said publicly, he wanted to leave.

"Maybe because they booed him on draft day, maybe because they continually doubted him when he took them to four championship games. Maybe because no matter what he does its never enough," Sanders suggested.

Six months later, when the Eagles gave McNabb a raise over the final two seasons of his current contract, the Philadelphia Inquirer  compiled links from every corner of the national media , all suggesting that he was underappreciated, underpaid, and that Philly fans didn't know what they had right in front of them.

And you know what?  After hearing Philly fans tear McNabb's head off once again, immediately following one of his best statistical seasons as an Eagle...I'm finally inclined to believe they're right.

McNabb has swallowed his tongue for 11 years, with his biggest demand from the team being more offensive playmakers.  (And when Todd Pinkston and Freddie Mitchell are your two best receivers, that demand isn't exactly out of line.)

But if my fellow Philly fans can't appreciate what we have...we really don't deserve to have McNabb finish out his career in Philly.  

So why not ask for the next best thing?  That is: Making sure that No. 5 gets a Super Bowl ring before he retires.

And regardless of how the Vikings fare in the playoffs...if Brett Favre decides to end his annual "will I or won't I" retirement saga once and for all by finally retiring for good, the Vikings should immediately pick up the phone and dial the Eagles.

For those who forget, before Vikings head coach Brad Childress came to Minnesota, he was an offensive coordinator with the Eagles.  He and McNabb have a great deal of familiarity with each other (and "Chilly" was the O.C. when the Eagles went to the Super Bowl), meaning McNabb's acclimation to the team would likely be as easy as Favre's was this year.

When McNabb was on the theoretical chopping block last year, his name was being thrown around in regards to the Bears' then-vacancy (before they traded for Jay Cutler). McNabb is originally from Chicago, and the combination of McNabb, running back Matt Forte (back when people assumed he'd be productive this past season) and the always tough Bears defense sounded like an unstoppable combination.

Well, guess what?  The Vikings have everything the Bears had to offer, and then some.

In his 11 seasons as an NFL quarterback, McNabb has NEVER had a reliable ground game to go along with his aerial assault, as Eagles coach Andy Reid is about as averse to consistently running the ball as he is to exercising, or as Bill Belichick is to smiling.

McNabb...meet Adrian Peterson.  Heard of him?  

If not for Chris Johnson's 2,000 yard season, Adrian Peterson would still be the most talked about and most feared running back in the NFL.  He's an absolute bull when he gets the ball in his hands (I bet Steelers' cornerback William Gay remembers this hit ), and he's one of the hardest players in the NFL to tackle in the open field.

Pairing McNabb, master of the screen pass, with Peterson, master of all things running in the open field, could only mean great things for the Vikings offense.

And while McNabb has never been renowned for his accuracy, the Vikings' receivers can more than make up for McNabb's biggest weakness.

6-foot-4 Sidney Rice would give McNabb a tall, strong red zone threat much like Plaxico Burress once was (and after watching Eli Manning hook up with Plax to beat the Eagles year after year, don't doubt that McNabb has an idea how to utilize a tall threat).  And speedy burner Percy Harvin could play much the same role that Jeremy Maclin or DeSean Jackson currently play in the Eagles offense: a deep threat that can break a play off for a touchdown on any snap.

Throw in tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, an up-and-comer much like the Eagles' Brent Celek, and you'll see that McNabb would be transitioning from one strong, explosive offense to another, with no downgrades at any position.

But the real beauty of this plan comes when you consider the offensive and defensive lines of the Vikings.  

The offensive line, with Bryant McKinnie and Steve Hutchinson guarding the QB's blind side, tied for 15th in the league in sacks given up with 34 this year.  Considering that they were protecting a 40-year-old quarterback who was never known as a prolific runner, those stats aren't too shabby.

And the defensive line, better known as the Williams Wall, is one of the best run-stopping units in the league.  Throw in Jared Allen, who notched 14.5 sacks on his own this year (of his team's 48 total sacks), and a defense that forced 23 fumbles and grabbed 11 interceptions on the season, and you start to realize how Favre had so much success with the Vikings this year.

The Vikes don't need a game-changing, Peyton Manning-esque QB to lead them deep into the playoffs, as the Favre experiment has proven this year.  

They've built a supporting cast that needs little more than a game-manager: someone who's been in every type of game situation before and who can  bail the team out with his arm, but not someone who's expected to singlehandedly win the game on a week-in, week-out basis.

For a guy that's been asked to throw 40 times on a near-weekly basis for a decade, it'd be hard to imagine McNabb not  wanting a switch.  

Throw in a volatile fanbase that's been ready to have his head since the minute the Eagles drafted him...it's amazing that McNabb hasn't pulled a Jay Cutler and publicly demanded a trade.

If the Eagles are so intent on appeasing their fan base by trading McNabb and turning the controls over to Kevin Kolb...I, as a long-time Eagles fan, will gladly cheer for McNabb, wherever he ends up.  (So long as it's not with the NY Giants or the Dallas Cowboys.)

And if the Vikings can upgrade from No. 4 to No. 5 this offseason...it's not hard to imagine Super Bowl rings for McNabb, Peterson and co. in February 2011.

Go get 'em, Donovan.  I'm sorry the rest of Philadelphia couldn't appreciate what we had.